The Rules of Engagement

Guest Reviewer - 30 Jan, 2024

30 Jan 2024
By Guest

An Engrossing read!

An engrossing read!! I read this one on recommendation, having read the author's latest and although this a richly evoked and well researched first novel, it is evident that subsequent books have shown this author has got better. I liked the combination of two protagonists, having their stories evolve in parallel and of the two, I thought Alex Conyer came across better. Overall it deserves
it's four star rating and other readers should give this author's fictional debut a try!

Guest Reviewer - 01 Aug, 2023

14 Jul 2023
By Guest

Very satisfying!! This is a well researched novel about the Great War, which I have to say I really enjoyed. Not having been familiar with
the author[s] work, I didn't know what to expect, but I am glad to have stayed with it and certain passages towards the end are especially poignant. Anyone coming across this in the same way - will be pleasantly surprised.

Guest Reviewer - 11 Apr, 2023

Very Enjoyable

Having read another novel by the same author, I was intrigued to discover this was their first book, set around WWI. On balance I think "The Calloway Sisters" has a more intricate plot, however this story of two protagonists from different ends of the social spectrum, is well worth a read. I found the conclusion especially poignant and believe others who haven't read it yet will be pleasantly surprised.

Graham Page - 11 Apr, 2021

This is a moving novel set during the First World War, beginning on a bright summer day in June 1914 and taking the two main characters through the trauma of a war which was like no other conflict in history. The postscript at the end is especially poignant as the author pays tribute to the real heroes who went off to fight and whose sacrifice is a painful reminder of the true costs of war.

A hugely enjoyable read

Del Boy - 11 Apr, 2021

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and found it difficult to put down once I started reading.

Rachel Thomas - 11 Apr, 2021

This is a beautifully written book, which takes you perfectly into pre-war Britain in the summer of 1914. Daniel, the Viscount Swiffen and Alex Conyer are as unprepared as each other for the war which threatens everyone. They have never met, and their lives couldn’t be more different, but for each of them, the unfolding war turns their lives upside down. Their paths cross during the story, which gives the reader a sense of the terror these men faced on the front line.
Back at home, their families and loved ones hope for their return and this offers the reader another insight into the upheaval war caused everyone – soldier and civilian alike.
I didn’t want the story to end and thoroughly recommend this debut novel.